Yesterday, the Future Policy Award (FPA) ceremony was held at the thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD in Ordos, Inner Mongolia (China). The international “Oscar for best policies” honours laws and practices that successfully combat desertification and land degradation. The FPA is awarded by the World Future Council (WFC) in cooperation with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Among the laureates are the Ethiopian Tigray region, Brazil, China and the "4 per 1000 Initiative".

The ceremony was attended by 300 high-level guests and ministers from all over the world including H.E. Mr. Zhang Jianlong, Minister of State Forestry Administration of China, H.E. Ms. Bu Xiaolin, Governor of Inner Mongolia, as well as Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Mrs. Monique Barbut, and Executive Secretary of the “4 per 1000 Initiative”, Mr. Paul Luu in the name of the Chairman, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki.

The FPA aims to draw more attention to desertification and effective ways to combat it: In the last century, droughts cost more lives than any other weather-related catastrophe. Climate change intensifies the process of desertification. Actions to combat desertification, therefore, not only contribute to protecting the environment but can also provide social and political stability.

Vision award

The 4 per 1000 Initiative: Soils for Food Security and Climate (2015), was granted the Vision Award. This awareness raising, high-level political initiative communicates a new concept for mitigating climate change through the annual increase in soil organic carbon by 0.4 per cent in the top 30-40 cm of the agricultural soils. It encourages a paradigm shift in agricultural practice.
The Future Policy Award highlights the world’s best policies and laws that create the framework for better living conditions for current and future generations.
The winning policies will be introduced in short videos which will be accessible on our YouTube Channel. Further information on the winning policies may be obtained through our website as well as on futurepolicy.org.